The failure of the government to act on the tribals' representations made at the launch of Rachabanda resulted in clashes between the tribals and the police at Seethampeta, the seat controversial granite mines.
The tribals had made a representation to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at the venue of the launch of Rachabanda on January 24th, seeking the government to look into the issue of exploitation of granite mines and tribals' rights by the high and mighty.
The representation was made by local tribals in the presence of Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao. The representation left the Chief Minister embarrassed and he could not react to the appeal, much to the dissatisfaction of the enthusiastic applicants.
The tribals believe that the man behind the shady deals is Dharmana Prasada Rao himself. They believe that he has been changing the survey numbers so that his son could have a free run over the granite fields.
The illegal quarrying of valuable granites in Girijans' lands in Srikakulam district granted to the son of Prasada Rao has become a focal point of criticism.
The granites were given away at the behest of the minister. In order to cover up his shady deals, the minister is believed to have supported officers to effect changes in the survey numbers of the hills to suit his son's needs.
The tribals again met Minister for Mines Galla Aruna Kumari, when she visited the area on Saturday.
Having heard them, she denied any knowledge of the issue saying that the Mines Ministry was a new portfolio allotted to her recently.
The minister also assured the tribals that once she was back in Hyderabad, she would try to go through the files and peruse the matter in detail.
When the tribals informed her about the leases granted to the then Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, Aruna Kumari replied that no one would be spared if they were found violating the rules.
The issue later took the shape of a law and order problem with the Girijans firmly opposed to the minister's son's looting of the said quarry granites. The protesters said that Dharmana Ram Manohar Naidu had been allotted the granite mining rights when his father was the Revenue Minister during the previous regime.
The allottment was made despite Sithampeta Tahsildhar Chandrasekhar's report to the Assistant Director of Mines Koteshwara Rao that the Kannedhara Hills (the disputed granites fields) were very dear to the Girijans, and that it should be left untouched.
The quarry tenancy was granted to the minister's son despite opposition from the District Collector Srikanth, Palakonda RDO, ITDA, PO.
The Girijans clashed with the officers concerned which resulted into a full-scale war between the angry locals and officers on Friday.
Tension mounted with firing and lathi-charge on the Girijans who had been allotted lands in over 1100 acres over the hills.